7-18

Boy do I have a weight-loss plan for you all! Granted, it comes with stretch marks, swollen ankles, and a belly that might never go back to "normal", but you get a really cute baby at the end. I went back to the OB-GYN today for a one-week checkup on my blood pressure and I found out that I had lost 44 pounds in one week. Yup, you read that right, 44 pounds. Jeez, no wonder I've been so frickin' tired all the time. It's hard work losing that much weight and keeping up the strength to provide Peanut with enough boob milk to keep him healthy and happy.

Speaking of boob milk, apparently mine must be working for him. Zac also got a clean bill of health today at the pediatrician. The doc said that he looked wonderful and was happy that he hadn't lost any weight since being discharged from NICU.

That is great news for me considering our first foray into breast feeding went very poorly. In the hospital, Zac latched on to my nipple like he was born to suck. I let out a sigh of relief knowing that he would be a productive nurser, but that was before my milk "came in". Three days after delivering Peanut my breasts swelled to twice their normal size and became rock hard. The baby couldn't latch on anymore. He would look at my nipple, get this horrible frown on his face, and start screaming as loud as humanly possible. It was incredibly discouraging to have a newborn reject my nipples. The next day, we both went to a lactation specialist to relearn how to breast feed. Who knew that such a natural process would be so challenging for both of us? I was given a nipple shield, which extended the length of my nipple into his mouth, and he started sucking again. Just for M., I'll post a picture of the prosthetic nipple soon.

Until then, I'm going to go pump my breasts, lay on the couch, and try not to lose another 40-odd pounds or so in the next seven days.